Getting chicks next week, just want to check on a couple of things

[dapper]

I am going ot use pine shaving on a painted plywood floor. How deep should the pine shavings be?

Should I go ahead Wednesday evening before I go to bed and set the food and water in place or just wait till I get them home?

Should I just put new shavings on top of the older ones, or how often should I clean all the shavings out and add new?

That is all I can think of right now, but as time keeps drawing near I may have more. I have never had any type of livestock in my life so I am getting a little nervous. I have read and studied for the last 2 years, but now as the time draws near I seem to have forgotten some things, and second guessing myself on other things.

 

[CrazyChickieMama]

I use about 5 inches of pine shavings and then stir it up everyday until it gets obviously dirty the I rake all that out and put it in the compost pile. If they are chicks, show them where the water is by dipping their beaks in it. I'm sure you'll be able to get a lot more answers from the great people here on BYC!!!!

 

[Judy]

Quote:
Might want to set up the water before they arrive so you can dip their beaks as you set them in there.

I prefer a few layers of paper towels on top of the pine shavings. I remove a layer to clean the brooder as needed. After a few days, they will know what/where the food is and, I believe, will be less likely to eat pine shavings. They will scratch and peck in the shavings and I always worry about how much they are eating, esp. in their first few days.

What you do need to do before they arrive is turn on the heat lamp and have an idea of how warm it will be, and where you want the heat lamp. Also, you will want them to have a warm place to go right away. Of course, their body temp could raise the temp of the brooder once they've been in there for an hour or two.

You can clean shavings out or just stir then add more. I never did clean the brooder, just stirred and/or added, til they went outside.

 

[Judy]

Might want to set up the water before they arrive so you can dip their beaks as you set them in there.

I prefer a few layers of paper towels on top of the pine shavings. I remove a layer to clean the brooder as needed. After a few days, they will know what/where the food is and, I believe, will be less likely to eat pine shavings. They will scratch and peck in the shavings and I always worry about how much they are eating, esp. in their first few days.

What you do need to do before they arrive is turn on the heat lamp and have an idea of how warm it will be, and where you want the heat lamp. Also, you will want them to have a warm place to go right away. Of course, their body temp could raise the temp of the brooder once they've been in there for an hour or two.

You can clean shavings out or just stir then add more. I never did clean the brooder, just stirred and/or added, til they went outside.

 

[Judy]

oops, sorry, I didn't think I'd clicked on "post."

 

[Ga Chicken Mom]

Dapper, don't worry so much I'm sure your new babies will be fine. I use a small cage for my day old chicks until they get a couple of weeks old then put them in a small plastic pool with a dog ex pen around it. I add clean wood chips on top of the old and replace them when they start to get smelly. The experts say not to put new babies on wood chips right away, wait several days until they know to eat chick feed not the wood chips. I use paper towels and change them often. Don't use newspaper as it is too slippery. Putting food and water in now will be OK, the water should be warm. How many babies are you getting and what kind?

 

[dapper]

My brooder is 4'x4', it has two 125 watt brooder bulbs which are hooked to a dimmer switch so I can just adjust the temp by the dimmer switch, I have two viewing windows, and on top is two doors with hardware cloth to keep my 3 cats out.

I actually have the brooder playing double duty right now. I have veggie plants in it keeping warm. Seems to be working great.

I am getting 3 of each Black, Brown, Gold, and Red Sex-Links, for laying and then 2 Delawares, 2 of each Buff, Dark, and White Laced Red Cornish males for meat.

I had planned on turning the brooder lights on Monday evening and then spend the next two days adjusting the temp till I get it at 95 degrees. I did a test run a couple of weeks ago and the biggest problem I had was the temps differences from night and day. Since the basement gets cooler at night the temp may drop around 5 degrees.

I have everything except the chick starter which I am getting tomorrow. I have 4 waters with small dishes that I don't think the chicks can drown in, then 4 more medium size dishes, and 4 feeders. I will change the water in the morning around 8am, then the wife leaves for work around 1pm and she will change it before she leaves, I will wash the morning waters when I get home and then change the waters around 6pm or so and then we will change them again before we go to bed 11-11:30pm. I don't think the feeders will need to be changed that often but all changes will be quick changes then clean in between.

I wasn't sure about the paper towels. I have read where some use them and some don't. I would say that with a 4x4 brooder it will take a lot of paper towels. I was hoping the blue dish mats would be ok since the food and water will be setting on them.I will use paper towels if I need to no problem.

I wasn't sure on the depth of the pine shavings because I go by TSC and I noticed the shavings in their tubs are not that deep at all. Matter of fact they barely cover the metal bottom.

I am getting them from Ideal, and they said I would get them on the 23rd or 24th so I took both days off work. Pluse I need to spend some time in the garden. I hope I will be able to break away from the cicks long enough to work in the garden some. LOL

 

[~*Sweet Cheeks*~]

You could get the puppy training pads to use instead of paper towels. They are bigger, obsorbant, and you could layer them so you can just roll up the top dirty one with clean ones already in place.